My mom’s delicious, traditional, beautiful and addictive Pumpkin Bread that she makes every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas, is still here. It’s not in the pantry or the fridge or the freezer. It’s on my butt and thighs.

I really over indulged in the Pumpkin Bread, adult beverages and other goodies during the holidays, and by holidays, I mean from a few days before Thanksgiving to a few days after Christmas. What the heck was I thinking??

I knew that I would hit it hard on January 1 (like I do every year) and get the holiday pounds off. On December 30th, I decided to get a head start by throwing out all of the things that had crept into the house that I did not want to eat or need to eat.

I haven’t posted my weight in a long while because my usual 5 pound gain over the holiday was more like a 10 pound gain this year, and that has been super hard for me to swallow. So many puns here, but I’ll leave it alone.

I’ve been hired as a Weight Watcher Leader for crying out loud. How does a WW Leader gain 10 pounds over the holidays?? I’m going to get fired before I ever get a meeting assigned to me!! So many unhealthy thoughts and self doubt in my head about this. 

Frankly, I am embarrassed. Yes, I know. Some of you will make me feel better by saying, “You’re human. It’s fine. You know what to do to get the holiday pounds off”.  Yes, I know. I’ve said these things to myself. Truth is, I feel like I’ve set a really bad example to those that tell me I inspire them. 

I knew that I was eating too much over the holidays, but for some reason I wasn’t able to stop myself. I can gain five pounds easily, and get it off fairly easily too. I avoided the scale during the holidays thinking that I would gain five pounds, then get it off during January, no problem.

For those of you that have been following my blog for a while, you likely know that I have maintained a weight of 172 for over three years now, and all though it is 12 pounds above my goal weight, it is a weight that has been easy for me to maintain, and a weight that I feel healthy weighing. 175 has been my “ought oh”number. That’s the number where I know I need to pay attention to everything that is going into my mouth and I seem to get right back to 172 with ease.

I stepped on the scale December 26th. 180. Crap!! I haven’t seen 180 anything in over five or six years!! I was leaving that afternoon for a two night girls trip. Wine and snacks. I was so frustrated at myself. I just felt ugly. I didn’t weigh after that trip, but I surely came back with a couple more pounds. Ten pounds above what I had maintained for over three years. WHAT IS HAPPENING????

Fast forward to today. I’m not beating myself up, however I am admittedly disappointed in myself. I think that’s a healthy and fair statement to make. No self doubt. I’m still me. It’s all good. I’ve moved forward. I am disappointed in myself, that is all.

Since December 30th, I have been eating heathy, drinking water, getting in walks and a little yoga, and I’ve had no adult beverages.

Today’s weight? 178. It is NOT coming off easily. I totally expected to be back at 172 by now.

I have asked myself, what would I, as a Leader, say to a member in my situation asking for advice.

1. “You say you are tracking your food. Are you certain that you are tracking accurately? Are you weighing those raw nuts every time you eat them? Do you measure your Oil every time that you cook with it?”
2. “Are you eating the same foods over and over? Sometimes your body needs more variety.” (I don’t know the exact science behind this, but I do think that it can make a difference.)

These are the two big questions that I would ask, so I’ll take my own advice and work on these two things this week.

Probably the most frustrating part for me right now is the fact that I am eating clean, healthy foods. No sugar, no processed foods. I’m eating whole foods and skipping the adult beverages. This week, I gotta switch things up a bit and be certain that I am tracking accurately.

I write this blog today because…

• It is easier for me to move forward after I share a struggle.
• I dont ever want to mislead my readers and imply that I have it ALL figured out. Obviously, I do not. 

Happy Weekend you lovely people!!

Here are yesterday’s eats…

Breakfast – 7 SP

Egg White and Veggie Omelet, Avocado, Blueberries

 

Lunch – 5 SP

Simple. Romaine, Chicken Breast, Bell Peppers, 1 tsp Olive Oil, 2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar

 

Dinner – 16 SP

We like cabbage, but I seem to forget about it and overlook it when I’m grocery shopping. I had a little left from my Egg Roll Stir Fry and hated to throw it out. I saw a recipe floating around on Facebook, so decided to try it. You simply slice it, drizzle with Olive Oil, salt and pepper and bake at 400 for about 30-40 minutes. Not bad.

I’ve made this Chicken Finger recipe before and it is sooo easy and really good. The chicken is breaded in egg and almond flour. I’ve been passing on any kind of sugar, but i did go ahead and make a Honey Mustard dipping sauce for these. SOOOO good. 🙂

Baked Chicken Fingers, Roasted Broccoli and Cabbage. 

Daily SmartPoints Total = 28

2017 Goals
Make time each week to Meal Plan
Drink 100 ounces of water each day
Exercise 5 days a week
Eat three meals and one snack daily
FOUR 100 Mile Walking Challenges this year!

Inhale Confidence

Exhale Doubt

 
“love the life you live, live the life you love”